First Focus on Children submitted the following comment to Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, to support CMS finalizing the proposed rule as proposed.
Excerpt from the Comment:
We support CMS finalizing the 2022 Proposed Rule as proposed, subject to the comments below, with compliance dates as soon as is practicable. While Medicaid and CHIP are important programs that cover nearly half of America’s children, changes are needed to ensure children have consistent and stable coverage. Delays in preventative care, well-child visits, and developmentally appropriate screenings may cause unnecessary, long-term harm. As the COVID-19 Medicaid continuous coverage requirement comes to an end, these are particularly important changes that could help reduce coverage losses as states begin acting on eligibility redeterminations for millions of people. Children, especially minority children, are likely to be disproportionately impacted by the redetermination processes, and millions of eligible children will unnecessarily lose access to Medicaid and CHIP.